Russia strikes Ukrainian cities in major attack, Poland’s airspace violated
Kyiv and the western region of Lviv on Ukraine’s border with Poland were the main focus of the drone and missile barrage
Russia pounded Ukraine with dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones, killing nine people in overnight attacks on Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, decrying shortages of air defence supplies and urging allies to help.
Russia launched more than 70 missiles and about 280 drones, Zelensky said in a statement on the Telegram app. The capital Kyiv and the western region of Lviv on Ukraine’s border with Poland were the main focus of the attack, the Ukrainian air force said.
Poland, a European Union and Nato member, scrambled fighter jets to secure its airspace during the attack. Ukraine’s foreign minister said a Russian cruise missile crossed into Poland, after authorities there found a crater and debris in a field following reports of an explosion.
“So far, eight people have been reported killed across the country,” Zelensky said, posting pictures of destroyed houses, fires and rescuers clearing through rubble. “Dozens of people were injured, and everyone is receiving the necessary medical care.”
Zelensky added that only the “extraordinary expertise” of Ukrainian air defence units helped save lives when air-defence missiles were not provided or delivered slowly.
Air defence units shot down 55 missiles and 265 drones but only one of nine ballistic missiles, Ukraine’s air force said, adding that 11 missiles and 17 drones hit targets at 20 locations.